RX-78GP00 Gundam "Blossom"
The RX-78GP00 Gundam "Blossom" first appears in the B-Club Gundam -Phantom Bullet magazine, and subsequently Dengeki Hobby Magazine "Gundam Secret Weapons" and Gundam Wars series. Although its existence and details in official plot are disputed, it is said to be a trial unit for the Gundam Development Project series. Technology & Combat Characteristics The Gundam Blossom was an experimental mobile suit developed by Anaheim Electronics at the lunar city of Von Braun as part of the Gundam Development Project. It has a Core Block System that utilizes the newly developed FF-X(7)II Core Booster II. During the One Year War, the original FF-X7-Bst Core Booster was designed to increase the Core Fighter's combat performance, but it could not dock with any mobile suit. The developers of the Gundam Blossom liked the increased mobility that the Core Booster could offer if it can dock with a mobile suit and designed the Core Booster II to achieve that objective. The Gundam Blossom is designed to be multifunctional and can carry various experimental equipment such as the long-range beam rifle and the Minovsky Particle Interference Wave Searcher (MPIWS) on the Core Booster II's drum frames, which are located on the back of the Gundam Blossom after docking. The Gundam Blossom also has a pair of beam sabers, also a part of the Core Booster II, but not attached to the drum frame. Using this long-range attack loadout, which causes the machine to be categorized as E.F.S.F. Attack Use Prototype Mobile Suit, the Gundam Blossom was deployed on a patrol mission and destroyed in combat against Zeon remnants forces. Thankfully, the Gundam Blossom's data survived and was recovered. Analysis of the recovered data indicated that the loadout caused weight balance issues, making piloting difficult. It was also discovered that the Gundam Blossom's multifunctional design caused a lot of stress for its pilot, thus the later four models of the Gundam Development Project all have their own unique function. Armaments ;*Long-range Beam Rifle :Also known as 'large beam rifle', it is attached to the right drum frame on Gundam Blossom's back, and has high firepower as well as long effective range. However, as it does not use the standard E-Cap system, it needs to be charged prior to each shot, and hence incapable of rapid fire. Additionally, its targeting accuracy is reliant on the Minovsky Particle Interference Wave Searcher (MPIWS). ;*Beam Saber :The standard close range armament for most Federation mobile suits. The beam saber is a small cylindrical device held in the mobile suit's hands when operated and is powered by a rechargeable energy capacitor. It is capable of cutting through any armor not treated with anti-beam coating. The Gundam Blossom is equipped with a pair of beam sabers, that when not in use are stored in the shoulders. It is unknown if Gundam Blossom's beam sabers can serve as beam guns for the Core Booster II. Special Equipment & Features ;*Core Block System :First developed by the Earth Federation in their top secret Project V, this technology allow the usage data of a mobile suit to survive even if the mobile suit itself was destroyed. The mobile suit equipped with this system could be separated and recombined in mid-air. Unlike most other mobile suits with the Core Block System, the Gundam Blossom's utilizes the FF-X(7)II Core Booster II instead of a Core Fighter in an attempt to improve the mobile suit's mobility. The Core Booster II also carries the Gundam Blossom's beam sabers and has a pair of drum frames for mounting various equipment like the long-range beam rifle and the Minovsky Particle Interference Wave Searcher (MPIWS). Due to control issues, the Core Booster II's concept was dropped after Gundam Blossom. ;*Minovsky Particle Interference Wave Searcher (MPIWS) :A disk-shaped radome device attached to the left drum frame on Gundam Blossom's back. While it has a wide sensing area, its reliability was low and frequently malfunctioned History The machine was destroyed during a patrol mission, but it is disputed as to exactly how. Phantom Bullet ''(the original appearance of this mobile suit which is an unofficial side story) states that it was "Destroyed in combat against Zeon forces." In ''Dengeki Hobby Magazine "''Gundam Secret Weapons", it claims that it was "Caught in the collapsing wreckage of an abandoned ship." The ''Gundam Wars card game attests that "Due to all the equipment, the balance of the machine is lost and self-destructed on the test run." Picture Gallery RX-78GP00 Gundam Blossom Lineart Back and Front.png|Black and White Lineart & Profile RX-78GP00 Gundam Blossom Lineart.png|Front Lineart rx-78gp00 front.jpg|Front Rx-78gp00.jpg|Color Lineart & Profile CoreBoosterII.jpg|FFX(7) II-Bst Core Booster II RX-78GP00(GUNDAM GP00 BLOSSOM) flight.jpg gp00-1.jpg gp00-2.jpg gp00-3.jpg Games RX-78GP00 Gundam GP00.jpg GP00 NEX-A.jpg 78GP00.jpg GP00.jpg|Gundam GP00 "Blossom" from SD Gundam G Generation Overworld SD Gundam G Generation Genesis Gundam Blossom.jpg|As seen on SD Gundam G Generation Genesis for Nintendo Switch game External links *RX-78GP00 Gundam GP00 "Blossom" on MAHQ.net